Apparently my kitchen gets so hot that my coconut oil gets, “liquid-y”….
Along with having a lot of fun with our cooking demos, I am also inventing new words, and if anything, giving my family yet another reason to laugh at me!!
In this demo we make Savory Cauliflower Fried Rice, Pork Chops, and my Walnut Pesto Sauce. Continue reading
Ever wonder what the heck to do with okra? I personally do not like the slimy stuff unless it’s well, you know, breaded and fried… With that not being an option I have just avoided the vegetable altogether until my friend at Norcal, Katie D. advised me how to make it and now I have a new found affection for the stuff – and I hope you will too! I recommend that you double or triple the recipe because my kids were eating them like popcorn and I almost did not get any at all!! We also made the yummiest stuffed eggplant that I highly recommend trying – take advantage of the summer veggies while you can because fall is just around the corner!! Continue reading
Last year a trainer friend of mine at Norcal turned me on to paleo pizza made with almond meal crust. Although I like this pizza and the crust works, I wanted to find a way to make the crust DELICIOUS, rather than just a vessel for the pizza toppings. With a few tweaks to the original, I came up with this pizza crust recipe that I love so much that I am excited to make it again and use it for more then just pizza. Continue reading
If you haven’t noticed, I LOVE to cook – but sometimes I get stuck in the same old chicken salad rut because it’s easy, and I know we all like it. But today I needed an excuse to be in the kitchen, rather then venturing out into the 105 degree weather so the boys and I got a bit creative in the kitchen and the results were blog worthy!! Continue reading
Maybe a few of you can relate, but it could be that I am just extraordinarily weak, but a secret about me: If I happen to have - oh I don’t know, something like chocolate ice cream in my house – I will eat it every time I set my eyes on it until it’s gone. Why? Because IT’S THERE!!! I am a strong woman, I take charge, I love eating paleo, I love feeling healthy, and gosh darn it I love ice cream. This doesn’t make me bad – nor does it mean that I lack motivation or will power or whatever other buzz words the “diet” experts like to throw around out there, it just means I like ice cream. So, what’s the solution to my dilemma? I rarely let ice cream find it’s way into my home. Instead, if we want ice cream, we leave our house and go to our favorite ice cream joint, and I eat one little scoop, and move on with my life. So – how does this relate to my title of Kids Picks? Well, the same is true for kids. If you have a bunch of crap food in your house that you do not want your kids to eat, guess what – that’s what they will want to eat because it’s THERE!! Solution – rid your house of the foods you do not want your kids, or yourself to have and replace these items with healthy choices. My kids are total foodies and love to help create, choose, and pick what they want to eat. And I can let them because in my home, they do not have a unhealthy option to pick from.
Pictured is the lunch created yesterday by my 6 year old, and the dinner cooked solely by my 14 year old (lettuce wrapped burgers with grilled onions and sauteed brussel sprouts.)
Also, here is my new favorite pot roast recipe that I adapted from a recipe that I saw on the Food Network.
Pork Pot Roast
1 Boston pork roast (4.5 lbs) or beef chuck roast
6 carrots
5 celery stalks
2 leeks
2 yellow onions
6 fresh thyme branches
6 garlic cloves
2 14 oz cans of diced organic salt free tomatoes
2 cups red wine
1 1/2 cups organic free range chicken broth
4 tbsp organic butter
1/4 cup coconut flour
Sea salt and crushed black pepper to taste
In a large soup pan or dutch oven add the olive oil and heat over medium heat. Sprinkle a bit of sea salt (if desired) and the crushed black pepper all over the roast. Roll the seasoned roast in the coconut flour. Sear the roast in the large soup pan for 4 minutes on each side (make sure you get the top and bottom of the roast seared as well). While the roast is searing, chop the veggies into large pieces. When cutting leeks, make sure to cut in half lengthwise and rinse well because they are full of sand and dirt in between the layers. Remove the roast from the pan and add all the veggies and cook in the drippings from the roast until the onions and leeks become tender. Add the wine, chicken stock, canned tomatoes, thyme branches (tie them together with some cooking twine so they are easier to remove later), and a bit more sea salt and pepper. With the flat part of your knife blade, crush the whole garlic cloves (as pictured) and toss those in as well. Stir well and bring to a boil. In the meantime, place your roast in a crock pot (this will only work if you have a big crock pot). Pour the vegetable mixture over the crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours and on low for 1 hour. If your crock pot is not big enough, you can cook the roast in a dutch oven or large roasting pan at 325 for 2 1/2 hours and then turn down to 250 and cook for another hour. After the roast is done, remove the roast from the vegetable mixture. With scissors, remove the string holding the roast all together, and slice thin. Remove the thyme branches from the vegetable mixture and pour half of the veggie mixture into a food processor or blender, add the butter, and blend until smooth. On a large serving platter place the sliced meat and top with the remaining cooked veggies and pour the blended sauce over all of it.
This recipe is a good one to make on a weekend when you have a bit more time. I made this for my sister and her family and in my haste, I forgot to take a picture of the final product but it turned out so good, I had to share it with you all anyway.
Enjoy!!
Pesto is an amazing sauce; it makes anything taste good from scrambled eggs to salad – so I have been working on a decent paleo version. I think I came up with a pesto recipe, that in my humble opinion is better then most pestos which are laden with parmesean – and it’s super easy to put together. Tonight I grilled some chicken and poured the green goodness on top and served this dish with a Warm Arugula Salad, and our favorite Smashed Cauliflower. I have a bunch of left over pesto that I can’t wait to use as a topping for whatever else I eat tomorrow!!
Grilled Chicken with Walnut Pesto Sauce
Chicken
3-4 Chicken Breasts
Trader Joe’s Everyday Seasoning to taste (or just some cracked black pepper)
Pesto Sauce
4 oz fresh basil (3 ½ cups)
1 cup walnut halves and pieces
6 garlic cloves
1 cup olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
Juice from ½ a lemon
Heat your grill over medium high heat for approximately 10 min. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breasts with either the Trader Joe’s seasoning or with just some black pepper. Turn grill down to low and place the chicken on the grill. Close the lid and grill for 7-10 minutes. Flip the chicken, close the lid, and grill for another 7-10 minutes. Remove the chicken and cover with tinfoil and set aside. Now it’s time for the pesto. In a food processor add the walnuts, garlic, sea salt, and olive oil. Process until smooth. Add the basil and lemon juice and process again until smooth. Slice the chicken and spoon the pesto sauce on top to serve.
Warm Arugula Salad
6 strips nitrate free bacon diced
2 shallots finely chopped
7 oz arugula
1/4 cup olive oil
Handful of chopped walnuts
Ground black pepper to taste
Place the arugula in a large salad bowl and set aside. In a medium sized skillet brown the diced bacon. Add the shallots and saute with the bacon until the shallots are translucent. Add the olive oil to the pan and heat just until warm. Pour the olive oil, bacon, shallot mixture over the arugula and mix well. The heat from the bacon mixture will slightly wilt the arugula – this is what you want! Add some fresh ground black pepper and serve immediately topped with a sprinkle of walnuts.
I love, love, love my crock pot and came up with a new and insanely easy spice rub chicken recipe that I hope you all enjoy!
Spice Rub Crock Pot Chicken
1 5-6 lb free range organic chicken - giblets removed, rinsed, and patted dry with paper towels
1 white onion sliced
1 tsp sea salt (optional)
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
Cover the bottom of the crock pot with the sliced onions. Mix all spices in a small bowl and then rub the spice mixture all over the whole chicken. Place the spiced chicken on top of the onions in the crock pot, cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours (depending on your crock pot). No need for any liquid, the chicken will cook in it’s own juices. Make sure you spoon the onions and a little bit of the juices over the chicken when you serve it. I served my chicken with our favorite brussel sprouts, steamed for 5 minutes and then sauteed with a little olive oil, dried dill, garlic powder, and pepper.
Enjoy!
